Keyboard-contact.



0. E. ROWE. KEYBOARD CONTACT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1911.

1,086,724. Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

CHESTER E. ROWE, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK.

KEYBOARD-CONTACT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 19.12.

APPlicB-tion filed May 16, 1911; Serial No. 627,610.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER E. Rown, of

Cortland, in the countyof Cortland, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Keyboard-Contacts, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description. I This invention relates to certain improvements in attachment for piano forres and similar key-board instruments and comprehends a series of electrically operated bells or other suitable sound producing devices adapted to be brought into harmony either individually or collectively with certain pre' determined tones of a piano or other similar key-board instrument.

The main object is to enable these tone producing devices to be located at any point or points in proximity to or remote from the instrument with which the s stem is adapted to cooperate so as to pro uce novel harmonic effects in music halls,,theaters and other places where such a system might be desirable or profitable. In other words I have sought to produce simple electrical means whereby one or more bells or other suitable tone producing devices may be operated electrically through the medium of cooperative contactsbrought into action by the operation of one of the movable elements of the hammer action of a piano forte, whereby the same tone or any harmonizing tone may be produced simultaneously with that produced by the action of a selected hammer and string of a piano forte when operated manuall in the usual manner or through the me ium of any mechanical playing device.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description. In the drawingsfFigure l is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the key-board of a piano forte. showing a system of graded electric bells of selected tone and quality and acorresponding series of electric circuits having suitable contact devices mounted upon the rear ends of the keys of a piano and adapted to contact with a feed conductor common to all of the circuits for closing such circuits when the piano keys are operated. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear ends of some of the keys of a piano forte showing more clearly the contact members mounted thereon and common conductor with which they are adapted to contact.

As previously stated this electric tone producingsystem is adapted to be operated in connection with a piano forte or similar keyboard instrument such as an organ and for this purpose I have shown in Fig. 1 a portion of a key-board A of a piano ,forte in which any predetermined number, in this instance twelve, of the keys representing one octave are provided at their rear ends with separate contact members -l which are electrically connected in separate circuits -2 and are adapt-ed to establish electrical connection by contact with a single conductor -4 as the keys are operated manually or mechanically in the operation of playing the piano. This conductor --4 is common to all of the circuits which-may derive current from any suitable source of electric current as a battery 5.

Connected in each of the circuits is at least one tone producing device as a bell -6- of predetermined tone and quality adapted to harmonize with the tone pro.- duced by the corresponding string of the piano forte with which it is associated through its connection with the contact lof the corresponding key of the keyboard --.A. r

The bells -6 orother electrically operated tone producing devices may be located in proximity to or remote from the piano with which they are electrically connected and in some instances may be' rouped in sets or may be distributed in wldely separated localities in a music'hall, auditorium or other place where certain: acousticelfects or distant tonesharmonizing with those of the iano may be desirable, 1t being under stoo that each of the electrically operated 'tone producing devices will be harmonized with the tones produced by the particular key at: the piano with which it is associated, j the purpose being to afiord musical Roompaniment to-the pianoTby'ineans ofwparate electrically operated. percussion devices.

a I have shown the contactdevices as 10% 5 cated on thelrear ends of the keys'and adapted-to contact with a single conductor common to all of the circuits but it is evident that these contacts may be mounted hammer actions and that the loca tion of the conductor 4- may be varied to conform upon or connected to other parts of the vided at the rear of the key bed 4 to the location of the contacts or maybe made in separate pieces one for each con tact but th1s latter arrangement would involve unnecessary wiring. The preferable and practical embodiment of the lnvention is therefore as herein shown and in which the conductoi' L .is in the form of a metal strip that is shaped to have a portion 4 thereof lie flat upon and be secured to the upper face of the key-stop 4 usually pro-- The -"remaining portion 4 of the metal strip is projected downwardly andvforwardly at an angle and overlies the keys A at the rear ends of the latter. The contact members 1' are in the form of fiat plates secured to the upper faces of the keys A at the rear ends of the latter, the securing screws or bolts 1 extending through the keys A and thus permitting the circuit wires 2 to be attached underneath the keys so as to be invisible. The members 1 project beyond the upper face of the keys A at their rear ends andhave the projecting portions l extended at an angle substantially in the same plane as the portion 4 of. the strip t so that when a key A is depressed at the forward end, the free end of .the portion l of a contact member is moved into engagement with the free edge of portion 4 and a circuit completed through the corresponding tone producer 6.

Anelectric switch or circuit closer -7- is connected in the circuit between the battery and conductor --4.-- to permit all of the tone devices to be thrown into and out of operative connection with the piano forte at will.

The electric tone producing device 6- may be of the ordinary. electromagnetic single stroke or vibratory type except that the bells or other percussion devices which are used are constructed and selected for quality of tone.

What I claim is:

In key-board contacts,a key' bed, a plu rality of keys mounted thereon and a key stop lying above the rear endsof the keys, combined with a contact member secured to the upper face of each key at the rear end thereof and having an upwardly and rearwardly-extending free end, connections between said contacts and a source of elec- /Witnesses:

J. W. ANGELL, S. G. -Wooo.

y and for-. 

